WATCH: ‘Pabebe soldiers’ call for peace

MANILA, Philippines – Can female soldiers be pabebe, too?

In an attempt to spread awareness on the role of women in national security and peace-building, a group of women soldiers from the Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CRS-AFP) posted a video calling themselves “pabebe soldiers.”

“Kami ang inyong pabebe soldiers at walang makakapigil sa amin para maglingkod sa bayan (We are your pabebe soldiers and no one can stop us from serving the country),” the soldiers said in the video.

The 24-second video mimics the viral video of sassy teenage girls telling people to leave them alone for being “pabebe” or cute.

But unlike the viral video that got celebrities talking, Lt Lady Chatterly Alvaro-Sumbeling of the Philippine Navy said their video aims to raise awareness on the important roles women play in the army.

“Naisip ko trending ang pabebe girls, so naghanap ako ng mga kasama sa gagawin kong video, (I thought the pabebe girls video was trending, so I looked for other women soldiers who can join me in the video),” Alvaro-Sumbeling told Rappler.

Alvaro-Sumbeling joined the Philippine Navy right after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in 2006. She has been in service for over 9 years. 

She said the video also aims to break stereotypes: “They associate women with being weak (and melodramatic). But we have women soldiers that are not pabebe, they pose (as) the strength of women in the military.”

There is nothing to fear in joining the AFP, Alvaro-Sumbeling added, as there are many female soldiers already in service.

“Those who want to join, we encourage them. It’s very fulfilling to be a soldier,” she said. “There’s no discrimination – that men think they’re stronger than women. They have accepted that women (has) an important part (in) peace-building.” 

The CRS-AFP is in charge of AFP’s social media engagement. It helps in disseminating public information among communities.

“Kung gusto niyo, magtulungan tayo sa pagbibigay serbisyo sa bayan nang may respeto at dignidad, at maaasahan maging sa katapatan, at sa pagsulong ng kapayapaan at kaunlaran,” the soldiers encouraged citizens in the video.

(If you want, let’s help each other in rendering service to our nation, equipped with respect and dignitiy that can also be relied on in terms of honesty, and in pushing for peace and development.) – With a report from Fritzie Rodriguez/ Rappler.com